Austin company plugs vacation rentals during Super Bowl

Published 6:30 am, Wednesday, February 2, 2011

HomeAway.com's "Ministry of Detourism" is the center of its ad campaign.

HomeAway.com's "Ministry of Detourism" is the center of its ad campaign.

Austin company plugs vacation rentals during Super Bowl

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Host-state Texas will be represented in the Super Bowl ad competition by HomeAway, an Austin company that markets vacation rental properties.

The company made its Super Bowl debut last year with "Hotel Hell Vacation," featuring actors Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo reprising their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold from National Lampoon's Vacation series.

This year, HomeAway has ditched the Griswolds for a campaign in which the company describes itself as part of the Ministry of Detourism, a secret government agency that attempts to save travelers from the travails of overcrowded hotels. The ad, created by Austin advertising firm Vendor Inc., will air during the third quarter.

Matt Cohen, senior director for global brand marketing, said the company is returning to the Super Bowl because last year's ad prompted a 500 percent increase in visits to the company's website (homeaway.com) within 24 hours and a million additional page views.

"I can't think of a way to reach 100 million people more efficiently," Cohen said.

Fans of the Vacation films may be disappointed that Chase and D'Angelo will not return, but Cohen said HomeAway wanted to ensure that its ad is remembered because of the company, not the actors.

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"People took notice (in 2010) because it was the Griswolds," he said. "This year, we are taking the opportunity to cut through and make an impact while making sure the impact is focused on our brand."

In an effort to extend the life of the commercial past Super Bowl Sunday, viewers can visit www.detourism.homeaway.com for a 60-second, downloadable version of the commercial in which they can insert their own photos, alter the action and post their work on social networks.

Tim Calkins, a professor at Northwestern University who tracks Super Bowl advertising, said the Ministry of Detourism campaign is "spot-on for a company that is trying to assume leadership in a category by attacking hotels."

"Using a celebrity has real pros and cons, because if you're not careful, the story is about the celebrity and not the brand," he said.

Slogans, no matter how catchy, can backfire, too, said Bob Horowitz, who produces the Friday night show Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials for CBS.

The phrase "herding cats," used in a 2005 Super Bowl spot, has become a part of corporate vernacular, but how many viewers associate the phrase with the advertiser — EDS - or recall what it was that EDS, now known as HP Enterprise Services, was selling (outsourcing and information technology services)?

More recently, Horowitz said, "More people knew that Betty White was in a Super Bowl ad than knew that she did it for Snickers. People were talking about Betty, not about Snickers."